mulready



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

M. F. M. MUIMJMY.`

vFURNAE GRATE.'

No. 555,826. Patented Mar. 3, 18.95.

(No Modell.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

lM; P. M. MULREADY( FURNAGE GRATE.

lhvrTnn STATES 'PATENT Orrrcn.

MICHAEL F. M. MULREADY, OF LONDON, ENGLAND.

FU RNACE-G RATE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 555,826, dated March 3, 1896.

Application filed .Tuly 2, 1895. Serial No. 554,737. (No model.) Patented in England .Iuly 12, 1894., No. 13,511; in France July Z3,1894,1\Io.240,247; in Germany July 24, 1894, No. 80,142, and in Belgium July 26, 1894,1To. 111,142.

To a/ZZ whom 1175 may concern:

Be it known that I, MICHAEL FITZ MICHAEL MULREADY, a citizen of England, residing at 447 Victoria Street, lVestminster, London, England, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Furnace Grates, (for which I have obtained Letters Patent in the following countries: Belgium, July 26, 1894, No. 111,142; France, July 23, 1894., No. 240,247, Germany, July 24, 1894, N0. 80,142, and Great Britain, July 12, 1894, No. 13,51l,) of which the following is a specilication.

My invention relates to improvements in furnace-grates whereby a more perfect combustion of fuel is obtained than in furnacegrates of ordinary construction.

It consists in an arrangement of furnacebars whereby each bar has a vertical oscillatory motion imparted to it in such manner that each bar oscillates in the contrary direction to the adjacent bars, and that the extent of motion of the bars at the inner end is greater than that at the front end, so that by this means not only is an effectual breaking up of the fuel on the grate with a gradually-increasing motion toward the inner end effected, but also a gradually-increasing admission of air through the grate is effected toward such inner end, thereby both preventing clinker and insuring a more intense combustion toward the inner end and an excess in the supply of heated oxygen for burning the unconsumed gases that may pass inward from the front end of the furnace. This grad ually-in creasing activity of the combustion will take place in a uniformly-distrib uted manner over the whole grate-surface, so that when a forced draft is employed any such detrimental blowpipe action, as now frequently occurs, owing to the forced air passing with great rapidity through parts of the fuel wh ere it meets with the least resistance, willbe prevented, thus doing away with the only disadvantage that is at present attendant on the use of forced draft.

The furnace-grate may be constructed in various Ways for carrying out my said invention. Thus, according to one construction, I employ a single set of fire-bars arranged to rock on a fulcrum situated just below the inner end of the dead-plate, the bars having outward extensions below the dead-plate, theI ends of which project outside the furnace and are there acted upon by cams on a revolving shaft or by equivalent devices, so as to impart to the bars the above-described vertical oscillatory motion. Thus it will be seen that the bars will have a gradually-increasing angularl motion from the fulcrum at the dead-plate to the inner en d, producing the above-described result.

Figure I of the accompanying drawings shows a longitudinal section of a furnacegrate constructed according to my invention with a single set of bars. Fig. 2 shows a part plan, and Fig. 3 shows a front view.

The bars A, which may be of any suitable cross-section, are carried at a point iminediately below the inner end of the dead-plate B by a cylindrical support C, around which they fit with a semicircular hollow. Beyond this point the extensions A project to the outside of the furnace, where they are acted upon by a cam-shaft D, the cams D of which are so formed as by their'rotation to alternately depress the extensions A of the contiguous bars, thereby raising up the inner ends of the bars A to a proportionately greater extent.

On the cams receding from the extension A' the inner ends descend again, the extensions being kept up against the cams by the preponderance of the weight of the parts A.

The support O is by preference constructed as follows: A transverse bearer C' of a T-section is supported at its ends upon brackets E on the sides of the ash-pit, and upon this bearer is slid a tubular sleeve C, having an internal flat surface C2, resting upon the flat top of the bearer,-while externally it has a number of collars C3 corresponding to the number of the furnace-bars, each of which is consequently held in position by fitting with its rounded hollow in the space between the collars. The sleeve C might also be made of semicircular section instead of tubular.

In order to prevent larger particles of fuel from penetrating into the space between the dead-plate B and the extensions A of the bars, I construct the inner edge of the deadplate with a chisel-edged rib B, which is sit- ROO uated close to the tops of the bars immediately above the center of the support C, whereby any small particles of fuel that may possibly penetrate between the two will become crushed by the action of the bars in moving slightly to and fro at that point, and consequently such crushed particles will not interfere with such motion.

I prefer to arrange the furnace-grate at some distance below the center line of the cylindrical iire-boX, as shown, in order to afford more space above the grate for combustion of the gases. As a certain amount of space must be left between the end bars of the grate and the curved sides of the iire-boX in order to allow of the above-described mo- 'tion of the bars, I inclose such spaces with narrow dead-plates F, having inclined top surfaces in order to prevent the fuel from lodging thereon.

The oscillatory motion of the bars is preferably made to extend from about the hori- Zontal position shown by the front bar at Fig. l downward to the point below such po sition shown by the bar behind the front one. By this means the fuel in being broken up will have a certain tendency to travel inward toward the fire-bridge, and a certain space may be left between the ends of the bars and the plate of the fire-bridge for the ashes that may travel forward to fall through.

The cam-shaft D is carried in brackets G fixed to the doorframe of the iire-box, and it receives its rotary motion from any convenient source of power-such as a mill-shaft II, carrying a worin I, gearing with a wormwheel J on the cam-shaft.

Having thus described the nature of this invention and the best means I know for carrying the same into practical effect, Iclaim- 1. In a furnace-grate,furnace-bars mounted independently of each other on fulcra situated nearer the outer than the inner end and means for imparting a vertical oscillatory motion to said bars so that the adjacent bars oscillate in contrary directions, substantially as described.

2. In a furnace-grate,furnace-bars mounted independently of each other on fulcra situated nearer the outer than the inner end, eX- tensions on said bars projecting beyond the furnace front, and cams or tappets on a re volving shaft acting on said extensions so as to impart vertical oscillatory motion in contrary directions to adjacent bars, substantially as described.

3. In a f urnace-grate,f urnace-bars mounted independently of each other on fulcra situated nearer the outer than the inner ends,

In testimony whereof I have signed my A name to this specification, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses, this 14th day of June, A. D. 1895.

M. F. M. MULREADY. IVitnesses:

II. TILKEMEYER, CH. PHILIPPE. 

